1956 MG

ZA Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Manual

KAL43/17758

Clear

Gasoline

Body This is the high point of the car, and what really makes it stand out in the Magnette field. The body metal is in fantastic shape! There is very little rust apart from surface corrosion in some areas or spots were the paint has broken down and some rust has started. There is NO rust perforation and no evidence that that any panels have been repaired or replaced. The underside of the car is either covered by a thin coat of original paint, or lightly corroded bare metal - all nicely preserved by a nice film of oil from the engine, transmission, differential, U-joints, etc... hey, that's a 50's British car! The wheel wells and fender lips are solid. Doors close with a nice light click - no sagging or binding. The hood fits well. Trunk lid could use some minor adjustment, but I chose simply to leave well enough alone. Now the body down side... at some point, probably in the late 70s/80s the car was given a re-spray and minor corrosion touched up. The original paint was Magnette grey. There is still plenty of it around in the wheel wells and engine bay and you can see it in a couple of the pictures. It's not a very flattering colour as I think it makes the Magnette look like a navy patrol boat. The new colour is a light blue similar to Iris Blue used on the MGA (I used to have one of those too, and they made a lovely matched set). The paint job is not good, but given the limited use, has held up reasonably well. Perhaps as the owner knew the car would never see much use, he opted for an inexpensive paint job. There is chipping, dull spots, spidering and chips in all the usual places like door edges. There are a couple of ugly spots, with the largest being a rust blemish on the horizontal valance in front of the radiator (see picture). Water tends to pool on this part of the car so it's been affected by the occasional rain and washings. As I said before, this car has seen very little moisture of any sort - when I bought it, the wipers were seized! The car, by the way, has always been well stored during my ownership in heated or semi-heated garage space. It has also been Waxoyled twice. There are several options for paint, from leaving the car as is and using it cautiously for another 50 years (as I have done) or a complete paint job. Quotes I've received for the latter range anywhere from US$1500-2000 depending on how much prep work one does before going to the shop. I'm not a paint expert and there are so many views on this that it's hard to know who to believe. One restorer I spoke to said he would not take the car to bare metal because he thinks the original finish is still solid and would take new paint well. Another said he wouldn't do anything except touch up problem areas and give it a good paint cutting and polishing. The important thing is, the metal underneath the crappy paint is pretty much the same as when it left Abingdon in 1956. I was eventually going to repaint it, so over the last couple of years, I've been buying ALL of the rubber bits necessary. Most of it is from the Shortens in the UK, and I always opted for the most original replacement parts, such as window rubber trim that uses the original chrome steel as opposed to plastic replacements. All of this trim will be included with the car and is valued at close to US $600. I've used silicon to seal some areas around front and rear windshields as a temporary measure. Chrome is fair. It's all there, and only shows minor dings in the typical places, but should be either buffed or re-plated. My local British car mechanic seems to think much of it will buff up well as it's quite thick, but until one actually tries, it's hard to know. The chrome swooshes on the side need a bit of attention, but at least they are there. To have new ones made in the UK, costs close to $500 per side! You'll notice many owners have simply decided not to put them on, or have changed a ZA into a ZB, with the simpler straight flashing. I think there's something about those upward swooshes that give ZAs a little extra something. The external rear-view mirrors are new. Glass isn't bad, but windshield will need to be replaced when repaint is done. These typically break when they are being removed or reinstalled as they become brittle with age. New glass is available from Scarborough Faire in RI, and again, I have all the new seals. Interior The second strong point, and what gives a British saloon car so much appeal - PATINA. The entire interior except the carpeting is original. Full leather on the seats, which I have treated every year to keep it nice and supple. There is only a very small wear spot on the driver's seat, which is barely noticeable (picture with key). I re-trimmed the under-dashboard heater cover and map pocket in grey leather to match the original colour vinyl, which was peeling. I replaced the carpeting with an inexpensive synthetic, which actually looks good given it cost about $70. Again, with a re-spray I'd also put in Wilton carpeting. You only need to buy it in bulk as the car has a very simple pattern and it's very easy to do at home. Headliner looks OK until you realize what colour it should be. It's become very dark, though it's complete and with no tears or sags. Replacing it would lighten up the cabin. The only pieces of trim I don't have yet are the furflex door surrounds, as I'm waiting for a guy in Toronto (McGregor Coach Trimming) to reproduce the correct colour 'faun'. One picture shows this trim pulled away to reveal the original body paint underneath. You'll see the steel is in great condition, in a place that's an ideal breeding ground for rust. I haven't done these cosmetic fixes because I was waiting for the moment to do it all... exterior re-spray, new rubber seals, door surround trim, headlining and carpeting. As the dashboard and other components have to come off for this job, it makes sense to do it all in one go. Instruments/ Electrical Just three things don't work: 1) the speedometer - it works, but is noisy so I've disconnected it. The seven years of sitting in storage probably didn't do it any favours. Again, haven't wanted to fix it until the dash came out for paint. 2) The water temp. gauge packed up last year. This is probably the sensor in the block and not the gauge. These gauges are an anomaly and only found on Magnettes. Apparently Shortens in UK now have a definitive replacement available. In any case, I haven't worried about this because my ZA has never run hot, and I used to live in Toronto where summertime temperatures can go over 32C/90F. I've never had the car overheat. Southern States though might be another kettle of fish. 3) Clock doesn't work, but that's common with these. I never tried fiddling with it because I use a circuit cut-off on the battery and always disconnect it when I'm not using the car, so the clock would constantly be out of sync anyway. The car has an original aftermarket Motorola tube radio that was purchased in NYC. Once it warms up it works fairly well though the speaker is probably as brittle as a soda cracker in the Sahara. Another job for when the dash comes out. I have rebuilt the wiper motor. Wipers now work well. The Trico vacuum windshield washer system never worked (they're notoriously poor performers). I've left the bottle and have rigged up an electric motor out of sight under the battery tray. An electric push button switch is in the same place as the original vacuum pump button. Wouldn't have even bothered with this, but had to as part of the requirements for licensing here in BC. The car has its original loom, which is in average shape. I've fixed all of the Mickey Mouse fixes and connections done over the years so everything works, as it should. The car would only need a new loom if you were installing newer electrics (e.g. alternator) or higher-draw equipment such as halogen headlights. Almost new electrical components include an SU fuel pump and regulator. Last summer I put in a Pertonix electronic ignition and coil - they do make a difference. I replaced all of the high-tension circuit at the same time. Engine Original 1500 engine. As long as the battery is strong, it takes no more than 1-2 blips of the starter button to fire. I've also started it several times with the handle (more for show than necessity). Oil pressure on start-up is about 70-75 psi, which settles to 50 at cruising and about 25 at hot idle. Good numbers for this motor. No evidence that the bottom end has ever been rebuilt. I had the head off in 1994 as it blew its gasket and I took advantage of that little incident to redo the head with all new valves, springs and hardened seats. I didn't want to get into the lead-additive routine. Therefore, the head has less than 5,000 miles on it. Carbs have been rebuilt with new shafts. If you know Magnettes, you may notice that this ZA has the later ZB oil-bath, air-filter, due to it being near the end of the ZA series run. Engine pulls well, and seems healthy. Plugs are perfect browny-white colour. Only a slight bit of smoking, which is par for the course with an MG. It didn't pass our local exhaust emissions test this year, because it was running a little rich at idle. My local mechanic says that's typical of SUs - in the 1950s, needle choice wasn't made based on low idling emissions. It just needs some tweaking before going in for the test if you have those where you live, if not... they're coming! Drivetrain Sweet, just like an MG should be. Clutch is slightly juddery, but it's always been like that so it's probably more a characteristic of the car than any real problem. It hasn't gotten any worse and actually has periods of virtually disappearing. It's probably oil seeping in from somewhere. Changing engine and transmission mounting rubber might also help and new mounts are included with the car. I have a 3.90 rear dif, which I used when I was in Toronto and did more highway cruising. Here, I've put the original one back in. The 3.9 is for sale separately if you want it. Price is US$300, which is the going eBay price for these. Suspension and Brakes This was my most recent labour of love. I rebuilt all four corners. Virtually new everything: springs, bushings, shocks, wheel bearings, brake master and slave cylinders, all new brake lines and hoses, and painted with Por15 stove black. Master cyl. is a rebuilt unit from the Shortens with less than two year's use. Brake shoes are also new. I've always used silicon fluid with very good results. I did all of this because after the long storage I just didn't want to take any chances with funny brakes so I decided to overhaul the whole thing. Let me tell you, if you were thinking restoration, suspensions are NO FUN AT ALL! Probably spent close to $700 for the whole thing, and my only consolation was that it would have easily been quadruple that if I had a shop do it. This car handles and brakes very well, and better than most I have driven. It pulls up nice and straight with good pedal modulation. Other The boot/trunk is in OK shape. It doesn't look so good in the picture because the interior floor is rusted. No perforation, it's very solid, just surface rust. The boot floor in Magnettes aren't that strong and one might consider some strengthening braces in a restoration. It needs a new carpet. Tools are 100% complete, in a new Moss repro tool roll and with the addition of a Moss repro tire pump. Only thing missing is pump action grease gun, though I'm not sure these came as standard issue with Magnettes. All the documents that I've collected over the years go with the car. This includes original title, windshield stickers and some service invoices. I've done 95% of the work myself. I have a set of 'original' owners and service manuals, though I'm not sure if I'd part with all of them as they are kind of sentimental reminders of long nights, bloodied hands and premature hair loss. I've reproduced all of them so those would go with the car. I also have a very, very rare hard-covered workshop manual, which I will sell separately if you are interested. Tires are Goodyear Arriva all-season radials that I put on when I bought the car, and are like new. When stored, the car was put on axle-stands. Spare is tire that came with the car and is only good for emergencies. Located in Bracebridge, Ontario. Please contact Ian Watt for more information. Home 705-646-1867 Cell 705-706-4441 Email oldwoodenboats@hotmail.com